I2 basal stacking fault as a degradation mechanism in reverse gate-biased AlGaN/GaN HEMTs

Abstract

Here, we present the observation of a bias-induced, degradation-enhancing defect process in plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy grown reverse gate-biased AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs), which is compatible with the current theoretical framework of HEMT degradation. Specifically, we utilize both conventional transmission electron microscopy and aberration-corrected transmission electron microscopy to analyze microstructural changes in not only high strained regions in degraded AlGaN/GaN HEMTs but also the extended gate-drain access region. We find a complex defect structure containing an I2 basal stacking fault and offer a potential mechanism for device degradation based on this defect structure. This work supports the reality of multiple failure mechanisms during device operation and identifies a defect potentially involved with device degradation.

Document Details

Document Type
Pub Defense Publication
Publication Date
Sep 26, 2016
Source ID
10.1063/1.4963156

Entities

People

  • Andrew C. Lang
  • David J. Meyer
  • David J. Miller
  • J. G. Wen
  • J. L. Hart
  • Mitra L. Taheri

Organizations

  • Argonne National Laboratory
  • Drexel University
  • Office of Naval Research
  • United States Naval Research Laboratory

Tags

Readers

  • Semiconductor Device Technology

Technology Areas

  • Microelectronics